President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed a report that said he wants to increase the country's nuclear stockpile by a factor of ten, accusing the press of making it up entirely.
NBC News reported earlier in the day that "President Donald Trump said he wanted what amounted to a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal during a gathering this past summer of the nation's highest-ranking national security leaders, according to three officials who were in the room."
"No, I never discussed increasing it. I want it in perfect shape. That was just fake news by NBC, which gives a lot of fake news lately," Trump said when asked about the article during a press conference.
"Right now we have so many nuclear weapons. I want them in perfect condition, perfect shape. That's the only thing I've ever discussed," he continued.
Trump claimed that Secretary of Defense James Mattis would soon put out a statement calling the report "fake news."
"And it's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write. And people should look into it," the president added.
Trump returned to the topic later in the press conference.
"I've seen tremendously dishonest press," he said, accusing NBC of making up the story and inventing sources.